One of the best ways to get your social media posts in front of new audiences is by using hashtags. A hashtag, of course, is a word or phrase preceded by a pound sign (#) that is used to identify content relating to a specific topic on social media. Hashtags may have started out on Twitter, but are now used on all major social networks.

Start by making sure that you are using hashtags that your target audience is searching for. By researching relevant hashtags for your brand or industry, you’ll be able to discover what your audience truly wants, as well as reaching higher levels of engagement on your posts. Twitter’s research shows the benefits of using hashtags in social media posts, so don’t waste this opportunity to get more likes, shares, retweets, or comments on your posts by assuming you already know what your audience is searching for. Hashtags don’t have to be generic words or phrases — you’ll also want to consider coming up with one or two brand-specific or company-specific hashtags and promoting them among your social media followers.

Don’t always use the same hashtags. While repetition isn’t always a bad thing, it can severely limit your reach when it comes to publishing new social media posts in hopes of attracting new followers to your brand’s account. If you copy/paste the same hashtags for every post, you could be missing out on a huge chunk of your audience that searches for related hashtags but not the specific hashtags you’re using in all your posts. Variety is key to getting new eyes on your social content. Mix up your hashtags for best results!